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Open Oct. 1

Burris Gains First-Year Depth

Unidentified Cavalier Booter Moves Toward Ball During University Hall Field Workout

Coach Gordon Burris' Soccer Team Is Counting Heavily On First-Year Recruits To Better .500 Mark

Having gained some potentially
valuable depth from a group of
talented first-year men, Coach
Gordon Burris is very optimistic on
improving upon last year's 4-5-1
season.

The results of the first-year
tryouts held over the weekend on
Saturday and Sunday were outstanding
in the eyes of Mr. Burris,
so outstanding in fact that he
expects five or six of the positions
still open to be held down by
newcomers. With the offensive line
already stocked with second-year
men, this year's soccer team will
definitely be one of the youngest in
the conference.

However, Coach Burris is insistent
upon the fact that this year's
squad, including both the returning
eleven lettermen and the first-year
men, is a better team
"fundamentally" than last year's
Cavalier booters.

Initially the emphasis will be
placed on the teaching process and
the basic techniques of soccer due
to the relative inexperience of most
of the players, putting off the work
on teamwork and short passes until
later.

A nucleus of second-year men
will head the Cavalier attack this
season. Jay Connor, a right inside
from Towson, Maryland, should
provide the front line with a
playmaker, while other second-year
men will add more scoring punch.
Frank Sterdjevic, John Mertenz,
and Phil Crane will fill the other
two inside forward positions, while
Fred McGlynn feeds them from the
left wing spot.

On the halfback line Captain
John Taylor and John Bakhaus
return from last year's squad to
lead the defensive effort. Jay Zichi,
whom Coach Burris acclaims as the
"best halfback...in the past three
years...", has been outstanding in
tryouts and scrimmages.

The season's goal has already
been set. In improving on last year's
4-5-1 ledger, Coach Burris hopes to
make the "...500 mark or better,
with emphasis on the latter."

The booters have their first test
under fire this Sunday afternoon
when they scrimmage Lynchburg
College at Lynchburg. It should
give Coach Burris and assistant
coaches Ian Faulconer and Richard
Lewis a good indication of just how
far the team has come in the two
and a half weeks they have
practiced.

The Cavaliers, with such soccer
giants as Clemson, Maryland and
Duke on the schedule, have their
work cut out for them this fall.
But, in the state, Virginia's booters
appear strong and may bring home
the Big Five soccer title.

Schedule

             

Oct. 1	V.M.I.	Home
Oct. 5	Clemson	Home
Oct. 10	Washington & Lee	Away
Oct. 15	William & Mary	Home
Oct. 17	Duke	Away
Oct. 20	Randolph-Macon	Home
Oct. 23	N.C. State	Home